Milk-cooler.



No. 633,262. Patented Sept. I9, |899.

m.Y L. cowAN.

MILK COOLER. (Appnmion med nu. 1, lass.)

.No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK L. COV AN,

OF EDDY, T IXAS.

MILK-COOLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 633,262, datedSeptember 19, 1899.

saai No. 707,363. (No model.)

T0 all ttf/1,0m it muy concern,.-

Be it known lthat I, MARK L. COWAN, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Eddy, in the county of McLennan and State of Texas,

have invented certain new and useful Im provelnents in Milk-Coolers andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in milk-coolers, and moreparticularly to that class of combined coolers and aerators in which theevaporation of water is employed in lieu of ice; and the object is toprovide a simple, inexpensive, and eective device of this character.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction, combination,and arrangement of the device, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

It is a well-known fact that fresh milk contains animal heat; also, thatin the subsequent changes milk undergoes'there are gases beingconstantly thrown offand that in order to free it from this heat and gasthe milk should be vkept in open vessels; also, that milk and butter areexceedingly susceptible of and quickly contaminated by other odoriferoussubstances or gases. It is also well known that in warm dry weather byplacing in a current of air a vessel surrounded by a wet cloth theevaporation of the water in the cloth causes the contents of the vesselto become very much cooler than the surrounding atmosphere. I attainthese objects by constructing at a very small cost a cool, clean, airy,and convenient receptacle or repository forA the uncovered milk vessels,whereby the milk andrbutter may be freed from the odors and gases andkept pure, cool, and healthful in the following manner: First, having anadjustable repository made of a material that is not sus.- ceptible ofabsorbing and does not contain, emit, or reflect gases or odors, therepository to be sufficiently closed to exclude dust and insects;second, having a means of aerifying the water, thereby cooling andfreeing the water from any unhealthy or unpleasant odors before passingto evaporation or coming in proximity to the milk vessels; third, havingthe most perfect means to control and regulate the distribution ofwater, so as to obtain the greatest amount of evaporation, hencesecuring the lowest tem peratu re in repository; fourth, having a coolerthat will occupy a sm all space; fifth, having a cooler that isconvenient and easy of access; sixth, having a cooler that can bequickly and easily separated in parts and packed in small space fortransportation or storage, and, seventh, having a cooler that is durableand can be constructed at Small cost.

In the accompanying drawing the salne reference characters indicate thesame parts of the invention.

l The figure in the drawing is a vertical section of a cooler embodyingmy invention.

In said drawing, 1 denotes the base-pan, which is provided with thetubular sockets 2 2 to receive the shouldered legs 3 3. This `base-panis provided with a stoppered outlet 4 and pivoted hooks 5 5 forconveniently securing the device to a fixture or other suitable supportto support it in an upright position and prevent its being accidentallyoverturned.

.6 6 denote converging tubular standards encompassing the upper ends ofthe sockets 2, and their upper 'ends are seated in the sleeves ,7 7,which are fixed in and extend through the water-pan 8l 9 9 denotebrackets secured to the lower ends of the standard 6, and 10 denotes areticulated shelf, also secured to the lower ends of the standards at asuitable distance above the bottom of the base-pan by the bolts 12 12,and it will be noted. that these bolts pass through the iiange of theshelf, the standard, the pan-socket, the stem or post of the leg, andthe bracket 9 to detachably secure all of these parts together.

The standards are provided with a series of vertically and horizontallyalined slots 13 13 to receive the heads of the screw-bolts 14 14, whichproject through the annular flanges 15 15 of the horizontal series ofadjustable retic'ulated shelves 16 1,6,which may be thus adj ustablyspaced apart to conform to the milkreceptacles.

The bottom of the water-pan 8 is provided with an annular flaring hood17, which is provided with retaining-orices 18 18 to receive IOO thebent ends of the springwire frame 19, which encompasses the flaring hoodand supports the curtain 20, the lower end of which is adjustablysecured to a correspondinglyformed spring-wire frame 2l, the bent endsof which are removably secured in the brackets 9 on the lower ends ofthe standards, and the lower end of the curtain 20 terminates in a skirt22, which reaches to the bottom of the base-pan. This curtain completelyincloses the standards, shelves, and the space between the upper andlower pans, and consequently the milk, butter, or other articles placedupon the shelves.

The upper ends of the sleeves 7 7 are protected by wire-gauze caps 23,which prevent 'the entrance of insects or foreign matter and at the sametime permit the free circulation of air through the tubular standards.

24 denotes an inverted-V-shaped collar which encompasses the flange ofthe waterpan 8, its inner flange 25 being serrated and extendingdownward to about the bottom of the inside of the Water-pan, while itsouter flange projects over and encompasses the upper edge of thecurtain.

26 denotes a capillary fabric which snugly encompasses the collar, andits inner edge likewise projects into the water-pan, while its outeredge terminates in a series of scallops or serrations 27 27, whichextend below the outer flange of the collar and terminate at a pointabove the curtain.

28 denotes a water-reservoir provided with a cover to preventevaporation and contamination by foreign matter and supported bysuitable legs 29 29 in the Water-pan 8. This reservoir is also providedwith a drip-cock 30 to regulate the supply of water to the pan 8.

The operation is as follows: The articles to be cooled are placed uponthe reticulated shelves and the curtain drawn to completely envelopthem, the waterreservoir is filled with water and av quantity is alsoplaced in the water-pan into which the inner edge of the capillaryfabric extends,and the drip-cock regulated to provide a continuoussupply of water to the pan to replenish that exhausted by capillaryaction and evaporation. The water being drawn from the pan by capillaryaction through the medium of the fabric is discharged by gravity on thecurtain, which it saturates, and the evaporation taking place carries othe animal heat from the milk, and thus lowers its temperature, and thecirculation of air consequent upon the evaporaL tion also carries o theanimal odors emanating from the milk, thus tending to aerate and purifyit at the same time.

The device is extremely simple, and consequently inexpensive. It is alsoconveniently portable while in actual use, and when de sired may bereadily taken apart and packed in a small space for storage ortransportation. The metal part is made of galvanized iron and can bereadily kept sweet and clean, so as not to contaminate the contents ofthe cooler.

1t will of course be understood that various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the principle or sacrifieing any of theadvantages of my invention.

Having thus described the invention; what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

A cooler of the class described comprising the base-pan, the tubularstandards, the reticulated shelves adj ustably secured to saidstandards, the superimposed water-pan and water-reservoir, the capillaryfabric formed with a serrated edge, and the curtain encompassing saidstandards, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

MARK L. COWAN. Witnesses:

R. HAYNE KING, CLYDE BURNS.

